Joining Google as a ‘Noogler’ I wondered how one voice could have an impact in such a large company. How will I be heard amongst tens of thousands of Googlers with their own ideas and opinions? During my onboarding, I started noticing that something was very different about Google. People were eager to hear your opinions and encouraged collaboration at every step. In just a few short months I made a very important realization. Google’s voice is the voice of its many Googlers.

This year, Toronto World Pride is expected to boast crowds of roughly 2 million. That’s local participants and visitors from all around the world coming together to celebrate diversity in the LGBT world community. When I sent out a note to my fellow Canadian Googlers about doing something special for World Pride, I never imagined I would end up as the marshall of this year’s Google float. Backed by the support of over 100 Googlers, along with their friends and families, we will march the parade route celebrating diversity, inclusivity, and equality.

I’m moved. Moved by the support of fellow Googlers, by the passion of this year’s Google Pride team and by the chorus of voices at Google that said ‘yes, of course we will be there.' And we're not alone. Googlers will be walking in Pride parades in San Francisco, Amsterdam, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Dublin, Hamburg, Taipei, London and many more. When the parade begins in Toronto, and we look out to the hundreds of thousands of screaming parade onlookers, I know we will stand with pride knowing that we represent a company that shares the same values of this important event.